-
- T J Scanlon, R N Luben, F L Scanlon, and N Singleton.
- Department of Public Health, Mid Downs Health Authority, Haywards Health, West Sussex.
- BMJ. 1993 Dec 18; 307 (6919): 1584-6.
ObjectiveTo examine the relation between health, behaviour, and superstition surrounding Friday 13th in the United Kingdom.DesignRetrospective study of paired data comparing driving and shopping patterns and accidents.SubjectsDrivers, shoppers, and residents.SettingSouth West Thames region.Main Outcome MeasuresNumbers of vehicles on motorways; numbers of shoppers in supermarkets; and hospital admissions due to accidents.ResultsThere were consistently and significantly fewer vehicles on the southern section of the M25 on Friday the 13th compared with Friday the 6th. The numbers of shoppers were not significantly different on the two days. Admissions due to transport accidents were significantly increased on Friday 13th (total 65 v 45; p < 0.05).ConclusionsFriday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52%. Staying at home is recommended.
Notes
Knowledge, pearl, summary or comment to share?You can also include formatting, links, images and footnotes in your notes
- Simple formatting can be added to notes, such as
*italics*,_underline_or**bold**. - Superscript can be denoted by
<sup>text</sup>and subscript<sub>text</sub>. - Numbered or bulleted lists can be created using either numbered lines
1. 2. 3., hyphens-or asterisks*. - Links can be included with:
[my link to pubmed](http://pubmed.com) - Images can be included with:
 - For footnotes use
[^1](This is a footnote.)inline. - Or use an inline reference
[^1]to refer to a longer footnote elseweher in the document[^1]: This is a long footnote..